WAMPSVILLE >> Madison County supervisors are renewing their cry to the state for mandate relief.

Expected to be voted on by the board at its meeting Tuesday, a resolution declares "mayday for mandate relief;" a message to Albany to stop imposing financial burdens on local governments with unfunded mandates.

The resolution points state mandates as a factor in worsening local governments' economic woes. The New York State Association of Counties estimates more than $4 billion of local tax dollars - nearly 90 percent of all county property tax levies across the state - are being spent on unfunded mandates, including Medicaid, public assistance, Child Welfare Protection and Preventative Care, special education pre-school, early intervention, probation, indigent defense, youth detention and pensions.

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This results in fewer and fewer tax dollars being devoted to local programs and services, the resolution says.

"These state mandates are the root cause of high county property and sales taxes in New York and have led to a decline in the delivery of important local services," the resolution reads. "Madison County hereby declares the month of May to be 'Mayday for Mandate Relief" to raise awareness that decisions made in Albany have a direct impact on the property tax levy and local community services here in Madison County."

The resolution also calls on the governor and state Legislature to enact meaningful mandate relief and discontinue their practice of imposing requirements without funding.

The county will again amend is agreement with Family Counseling Services of Cortland County, which now operates the county's ADAPT program. The state has not yet officially approved the transfer of the program's operating license to the private agency, delayed because minor site modifications need to be made. That process could take another three months. In the meantime, the organization needs to hire three additional workers.

To compensate for that change, the county will amend its agreement to provide Family Counseling Services $26,700 monthly, $11,000 more a month that the current agreement.

Similarly, the board will vote on abolishing five positions within its Mental Health Department, including three addictive substance counselors, a senior counselor and an office assistant, effective May 24.

At Tuesday's meeting the public will also have an opportunity to voice its opinion on the county's proposed local law to slightly modify its weighted voting apportionment. The legislation will make small adjustments to the the number of voted each supervisor controls to account for changes in municipal populationsecorded by the 2010 Census.

If the board approves, the planning and workforce development department will take on an intern from Morrisville State College to work on projects on solar energy, greenhouse gas emissions inventories and climate action planning. The internship will be part of AmeriCorp and will require to the county to kick in $3,160 as the "host agency." Funds will be used from unused dollars budgeted this year for an unfilled position within the department along with assistance from CNY Solar and the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board.

The board will request that the state grant a home rule allowing it to collect an additional 1 percent in sales tax, maintaining its 4 percent rate. If the state approves, the rate would be extended through November 2015.

In other business, the board will also consider:

Creating a temporary summer youth counselor position in the planning department at $11 per hour from June 10-Aug. 16.

oCreating a temporary position to operate the mechanical vegetation harvester and provide services to lake associations at $31 per hour; the county operated the same program last year at a fee for those benefiting from the service.

oCreating a part-time "motor vehicle representative/recording clerk" in the clerk's office at an hourly rate of $14.60.

oAn agreement with Lanpher's Transport Inc. to provide transportation for children to the New York School for the Deaf, at a cost of $261 per day.

The board is scheduled to meet Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the county office building,